One of the great political speeches of the modern era. Bryan articultaed the populist desire for a wider money supply (that would, among other things, aid farmers) by portraying big business as crucifying America. How does the speech, which electrified the Democrat/Populists but didn't help Bryan win, articulate ideas of American-ness and concerns over Wall Street?

This Library of Congress site provides a chronology and numerous short films of the first president to be routinely filmed in the process of undertaking his job. How does the presence of film help us understand Roosevelt's character and presidency?

Website offering an explanation and exploration of Roosevelt and the United States during the Progressive Era. Contains analysis of key terms, timelines and growing digitised archive of the president. Very useful and easy to use.

While other 'muckrakers' took aim at the food industry and big corporations, Steffens specialised in exposing graft and corruption in the nation's cities where 'machine politics' - that focussed on maintaining power rather than serving democratic interests.

Ida Tarbell had by this point, published her book-length critique of the mega-corporation that was Standard Oil. In this piece for McClures, she takes aim at the man at the centre of that web of companies, John D. Rockefeller.

Theodore Roosevelt developed a reputation as a trust-buster and honest broker in industrial and international disputes. But this speech suggests the President was not entirely happy with the tide of journalism unearthing graft and corruption in the nation's corporate and political life. What does this tell us about the President's progressivism?

Muller v. Oregon, 208 U.S. 412 (1908), was a landmark decision in United States Supreme Court history, as it justifies both sex discrimination and usage of labor laws during the time period. The case upheld Oregon state restrictions on the working hours of women as justified by the special state interest in protecting women's health. An example of progressive labor laws that defined women as delicate and fragile as a way of sidestepping the pro-business 'freedom of contract' ideology that had restricted other attempts to regulate the jobs market.

On March 25th, 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirwaist Factory in New York City. Within 18 minutes, 146 people were dead as a result. This site from Cornell University explores the conditions in the garment factory, the official documents from the trial and the calls for reform - alongside photos and analysis. A great resource on this tragedy and the progressive-minded response it generated.

If Adam Smith had first proposed the division of labour into small simple tasks in the 18th century, Taylor provided a plan for implementing a rationalised, instrumentalist approach to industry that intensified production while,some would argue, turning workers into little more than machine parts. How did Taylor perceive of his ideas?

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt chose to break with the Republican Party and run for the presidency in a three-way struggle with Woodrow Wilson & William Howard Taft. This surprisingly high quality wax cylinder recording sees TR set out his stall.

prior to this Amendment becoming part of the U.S. constitution in 1913, progressives argued that U.S. senators were effectively placement for state party machines. As such, the ratification of the Amendment marked another victory for the bi-partisan forces of reform.

Working as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), Lewis Hine (1874-1940) portrayed working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1924. This Library of Congress collection contains 50 of those images. The page explains both the context and provides links to other NCLC material.

Ohio State University's site deals with the rise of the Temperance movement and follows through to the campaign for prohibition of alcohol and beyond. There are some useful primary materials here, including cartoons and data on drinking.